MEAL Officer

Requisition ID: req51674

Job Title: MEAL Officer

Sector: Monitoring & Evaluation

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Lodwar, Kenya

Work Arrangement:

Job Description

Responding to the world’s worst humanitarian crises in a great variety of roles, the International Rescue Committee’s staff is a force for humanity and hope. If you’re skilled and passionate, we’d like to add your energy to ours.

We are one of the world’s largest humanitarian agencies, provide relief, rehabilitation, and post-conflict reconstruction support to victims of natural disaster, oppression and violent conflict in 42 countries. We are committed to innovation and creative partnerships.

Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, we assist people from harm to home.

Job Overview and Summary

Reporting to Senior MEAL Officer,the MEAL Officer works in close collaboration with program teams to optimize monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning capacities and opportunities of the IRC mission in Lodwar and West Pokot, Kenya, to ensure high-quality programming for the clients we serve and support the global ambitions of IRC Strategy 100, and Kenya’s Country Strategic Action Plan. The MEAL Officer oversees, leads and implements MEAL activities of all projects in IRC Lodwar field site and support on need basis in West Pokot, sites within the Country MEAL team.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Partnership:

• Support all technical aspects and actions of MEAL regarding the Lodwar programs; respond to program needs; foster high standards and practices for quality data collection, analysis, and reports. Enable accountability to clients, partners, and donors.
• Implement and support MEAL system and approaches in health, nutrition, WPE and protection sectors and foster learning.
• Represent IRC at technical meetings, forums, coordination meetings and other events & build partnerships within IRC Lodwar/West Pokot Host program.
• Champion access and use of data for shared learning, sound decision-making, and data-informed programmatic adaptations.

Technical Oversight:

• Run the MEAL system and processes for Lodwar &West Pokot in harmony with the MEAL Country and Global Strategies throughout the project cycle which include:
• Collaborate with MEAL and non-MEAL staff to ensure that data is collected, compiled, checked for its quality and completeness in compliance with IRC and donors’ standards for data quality.
• Document and share learning, evidence, and data from previous projects to inform project proposal design.
• Implement MEAL plans, revise (digital) data collection tools, follow-up on processes for online data management, quality checks, and audits, and updating of data visualization.
• Undertake regular analysis of monitoring data and work closely with program officers and managers to facilitate decision-making for real-time program adaptation.
• Produce quality reports and updating dashboards with key findings that foster learning and decision-making and share in project cycle management meetings and team meetings.
• Identify, document, and share client feedback to improve services and results for our clients.
• Support deployment of surveys such as baseline, midline and end line, and the commission of evaluations in coordination with colleagues and partners.
• Support in Development of forms on Kobo or CommCare - Training of data collectors - Conduct of data collection - Basic analysis and report writing.
• Lead the conduct of relevant assessments and evaluations in Lodwar for all programs including, KAP surveys, needs assessments surveys, baseline and end line surveys, and client feedback surveys
• Support the use of standard mobile data technology and online dashboard to enhance timeliness and quality of data collection, analysis and visualization.
• Join and contribute to IRC’s effort in meeting its internal and external accountability commitments through the implementation of sound accountability, client feedback, and response mechanisms.
• Contribute and support in documentation of the success stories and lesson learnt of the project during implementation.
• Submit high quality monthly reports; compile statistics, and document challenges and lessons learned.

Human Resources:

• Coordinate, lead, mentor MEAL Assistant(s); foster timely and high-quality achievement, and an inclusive and respectful team climate.
• Promote the growth and development of others in IRC teams and partners: present high-quality technical training and learning material for partners, colleagues, and junior staff.
• Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of MEAL Assistants, field incentive workers and enumerators.

Client Responsiveness and Accountability:

• Lead and coordinate processes to collect, review and respond to client feedback at the field level.
• Set up feedback mechanisms to collect and respond to client feedback – both proactive and reactive (technological improvements to existing mechanisms), with support from the CR Manager.
• Conduct regular FGDs and meetings with different stakeholders to solicit feedback on IRC’s work.
• In health facilities, establish a help desk/information table for the community members to answer beneficiary comments/questions.
• Prepare help desk reports from the CFR and share with the managers.
• Prepare CRA reports based on consolidated analysis of client feedback recorded via proactive and reactive channels, to be discussed at field meetings, project review meetings for analysis and decision-making at the field level

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports directly to the Senior MEAL Officer.
Position directly supervises: MEAL Assistants and/ or enumerators/ Research Assistants.

Other Internal and/or External Contacts:

Internal: Program: (Managers, Coordinators and Officers), ICT Officer, Grants fellows and Managers, HR, Senior Field Coordinator and Field Manager.
External: Beneficiaries, program partner organizations, county, and national government.

• A technical degree or equivalent in Health Information Management, Public Health, Statistics, Computer Science, Monitoring and Evaluation or any other relevant field.
• A minimum 3 year of working experience in a related field.
• Possess basic technical knowledge of MEAL approaches and techniques in some or all the following areas: Outputs, Outcome monitoring; Theories of Change, Logical frameworks, Data collection, data analysis (by use of SPSS, STATA, Pivot tables etc), Accountability, Client feedback mechanisms, Data quality and databases.
• Experience in conducting primary both qualitative and quantitative data collection and data entry.
• Basic proficiency and experience with mobile data collection such as Kobo, COMM Care, DHIS, ODK Collect is required, knowledge of Tableau, PowerBi, or GIS software tools are additional assets.
• Good computer skills in MS Office applications especially Excel; PowerPoint, Outlook and Word – with experience in writing reports.
• Self-motivated and pro-active attitude with good organization, planning, and analytic skills, including prioritizing work, multi-tasking, and attention to detail.
• Flexibility and ability to work under pressure and in constantly evolving work environments;
• Demonstrated analytical, systematic-thinking, and problem-solving skills are definite assets;
• A strong understanding of accountability and proven ability to build Client Feedback Systems
• Language English and Kiswahili-Written and spoken.

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equity. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other encouraging benefits and allowances.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Kenyan nationals are encouraged to apply. International allowances are not available for this position. Salary and employee benefits are compliant to the Kenyan NGO Sector.

Disclaimer:

Please take note that International Rescue Committee (IRC) does not ask for any fees in connection with its recruitment processes.